Objectives: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) have a risk of sarcopenia which is associated with adverse health outcomes. Frailty is also associated with adverse outcomes and is diagnosed by a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). Because a CGA is time-consuming and not all patients benefit from it, frailty screening questionnaires are used to select patients for CGA. Sarcopenia measurement may be a biomarker for frailty. Our objective was to examine the association between sarcopenia and a frailty screening questionnaire. Materials and Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, 150 patients (≥ 60-years old) with HNC were reviewed. Sarcopenia was defined as the combination of reduced handgrip strength and loss of skeletal muscle mass, calculated as skeletal muscle index (SMI), according to the EWGSOP-criteria. Frailty screening was performed using the Geriatrics 8 (G8) questionnaire. Results: The 150 patients included 101 men and 49 women. Frail patients were more likely to be sarcopenic at diagnosis. G8 frailty score showed a significant though weak correlation with SMI. Univariate regression analysis with frailty as a dependent variable distinguished comorbidity score, handgrip strength, SMI, and sarcopenia as significant. These variables were subjected to a multivariate analysis in which comorbidity score and SMI remained significant. Conclusion:There is an association between sarcopenia and the G8 frailty screening questionnaire. Therefore, sarcopenia measurement could be interchangeable with the G8 frailty screening questionnaire. Further research should compare the gold standard for frailty, i.e. CGA, with sarcopenia.
Purpose Treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) carries a high risk of adverse outcomes in patients, especially in frail elderly. Therefore, it is important to identify patients in which treatment benefits outweigh the risk of any adverse outcome. Although the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) identifies frailty, it is a time-consuming tool. Instead, measurement of skeletal muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia) may be a promising and time-efficient biomarker for frailty. The aim of this study was to examine the association between sarcopenia and frailty assessment tools, such as the CGA, Fried criteria and the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI). Methods A retrospective study was performed in elderly patients (≥ 70-years) with HNC. Sarcopenia was defined as the combination of reduced handgrip strength (HGS) and low skeletal muscle mass (SMM), according to the EWGSOP-2 criteria. SMM was measured on routinely available diagnostic imaging and corrected height: skeletal muscle index (SMI). A CGA was performed by a geriatrician. Frailty screening was performed using the GFI and the Fried criteria. Results In total, 73 patients were included of which 33 were men (45.2%) and 40 women (54.8%). Frail patients diagnosed by CGA were more likely to have low SMI, sarcopenia, more comorbidities and were at high risk for malnutrition (all p < 0.05). In multivariate regression analysis, the only significant predictor for frailty diagnosed by CGA was SMI (OR 0.9, p < 0.01) independent of comorbidity and muscle strength. Conclusion Low SMI and sarcopenia are associated with frailty in elderly HNC patients. Low SMI predicts frailty and is a promising time-efficient and routinely available tool for clinical practice.
In head and neck cancer (HNC) there is a need for more personalized treatment based on risk assessment for treatment related adverse events (i.e. toxicities and complications), expected survival and quality of life. Sarcopenia, defined as a condition characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, can predict adverse outcomes in HNC patients. A review of the literature on the measurement of sarcopenia in head and neck cancer patients and its association with frailty was performed. Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) measurement only is often used to determine if sarcopenia is present or not. SMM is most often assessed by measuring skeletal muscle cross-sectional area on CT or MRI at the level of the third lumbar vertebra. As abdominal scans are not always available in HNC patients, measurement of SMM at the third cervical vertebra has been developed and is frequently used. Frailty is often defined as an age-related cumulative decline across multiple physiologic systems, with impaired homeostatic reserve and a reduced capacity of the organism to withstand stress, leading to increased risk of adverse health outcomes. There is no international standard measure of frailty and there are multiple measures of frailty. Both sarcopenia and frailty can predict adverse outcomes and can be used to identify vulnerable patients, select treatment options, adjust treatments, improve patient counselling, improve preoperative nutritional status and anticipate early on complications, length of hospital stay and discharge. Depending on the definitions used for sarcopenia and frailty, there is more or less overlap between both conditions. However, it has yet to be determined if sarcopenia and frailty can be used interchangeably or that they have additional value and should be used in combination to optimize individualized treatment in HNC patients.
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